Sustainable forest development in the Styrian Eisenwurzen Nature and Geopark and beyond

Abstract

With 62 % of its total area covered in forest, Styria is the most densely forested province in Austria. Accordingly, forests, more than any other habitat, characterise the landscape in the Styrian Eisenwurzen Nature and Geopark. The forest areas of the nature park are managed by a combination of private owners and the Styrian Provincial Forests, the Austrian Federal Forests and the City of Vienna. The near-natural areas of the nature park forests in particular are characterised by species-rich fauna and flora, which include specially protected species. However, the forests of the nature park do not simply provide habitats for a large number of protected animal and plant species. Due to their location – embedded between the Dürrenstein wilderness area, the Kalkalpen National Park and the Gesäuse National Park – they also function as important stepping-stone habitats for many forest-bound species.